4:22pm Monday 6th July 2009
By Chris Yandell
THIS is the new multimillion- pound primary school at the centre of plans to improve education for children with learning difficulties.
The county council has agreed to merge two special needs schools in Totton town centre and build a new complex on one of the sites.
Forest Edge will be amalgamated with Salterns in September to form a new school called Forest Park.
It will comprise a new £11m primary school on the Forest Edge site and upgraded facilities at Salterns, which will be used to teach older children.
The primary school building is due to open at the end of next year or the beginning of 2010.
All the existing classrooms on the site will be demolished to make way for new outdoor facilities, including an all-weather play area.
Under the scheme Forest Edge will become Forest Park Primary and Salterns will be known as Forest Park Secondary.
A temporary governing body has been set up to oversee the planning and staffing of the new school.
Ken Fox, chairman of the group, said: “We have all shared the same sense of purpose and have driven the project forward in a remarkably short period of time.”
Forest Park’s head teacher will be Nicky Dando, currently in charge at Salterns.
She said: “I don’t want the fantastic new primary building to draw attention away from investments that are being made to the secondary site.
“Once the primary aged children currently at Salterns move into the primary building, exciting new developments will be put in place for the secondary age children.
“They will be able to benefit from their own enhanced facilities.
“These will include new specialist design and technology, food technology and music rooms, together will a greatly improved and enlarged multi-sensory room.”
Work on the new primary school is due to start in August but Forest Edge will stay open while the complex is built.
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